Department for Transport

Roads: Norwich

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty’s Governmentwhat assessment they have made, if any, of the reasons for the increase in the contract target costs of the Norwich Northern Distributor Road.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: No assessment was made by the Department for Transport of the reasons for the increase in the contract target costs of the Norwich Northern Distributor Road. Norfolk County Council officials provided the Department with information on this and with the papers provided to their Councillors prior to the meeting on 6 November where the revised cost of the scheme was approved.

Roads: Norwich

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what process was used to assess the value-for-money that would be achieved from the additional Department for Transport funding provided to Norfolk County Council in relation to the Norwich Northern Distributor Road project.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: A value for money assessment was undertaken on the full revised cost of the Norwich Northern Distributor Road which showed that it remained very high value for money under the Department’s value for money assessment with an adjusted Benefit Cost Ratio of 6.07.

Roads: Construction

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on how many occasions since 2010 they have provided additional funding to local authority road building schemes.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Since 2010 additional funding, above that allocated at the initial approval stage, has been provided to five local authority road schemes as follows:Norwich Northern Distributor Road - £10mFletton Parkway Widening (Peterborough) - £0.9mHartford Bridge Roundabout (Hampshire) - £0.4mA4600 University Hospital Junction (Coventry) - £0.1mStafferton Way (Windsor and Maidenhead) - £0.8m

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many officials within the Department for Transport are currently working on the HS2 project.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The High Speed Rail headcount for permanent full time equivalents (FTEs) in post as of the end of November 2015 in the Department is 129.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many officials within the Department for Transport they expect to be working on the HS2 project in 2016–17, 2017–18, and 2018–19.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The High Speed Rail headcount for permanent staff for years 2016/17 – 2018/19 will be determined by future business planning rounds and set within the Spending Review 2015 overall resource funding envelope for the Department for Transport as announced by the Chancellor on 25 November 2015.

Traffic Commissioners

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to reform or strengthen the role of Traffic Commissioner.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Department for Transport published its review of the role of the traffic commissioners this year. This recommends that we continue with the commissioners in their present form.

Pupils: Walking

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding they plan to make available to promote walking to school initiatives when the Local Sustainable Transport Fund comes to an end in March 2016.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Department for Transport has a statutory obligation to deliver the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) which is anticipated to include a National Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan. The Department has commenced the early stages of work to develop the first CWIS by summer 2016 following a formal consultation in spring 2016. Detailed content of this Strategy is not yet available, and we are therefore unable to confirm our future plans for promoting walking to school initiatives at this stage.That said, the Government recently reaffirmed its commitment to cycling and walking by investing over £300m over the life of this Parliament. This includes delivering the Cycle City Ambition programme in full, and funding the Bikeability cycle training programme for school children. It also includes a new ‘Access’ fund for sustainable travel building on the legacy of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund. It is too early to say what the details of this new Access fund will be as discussions are ongoing, but information is expected to be available in the coming weeks.It is also worth noting that this Government remains committed to the principles of localism; it is therefore the responsibility of local authorities to decide their local priorities in relation to ‘walk to school’ initiatives, and attribute government resources, such as the local transport block, accordingly.

Speed Limits

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for setting the speed limit at 20 miles per hour on all minor roads in villages, towns and cities.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Setting local speed limits is a matter for the local highway authority, as they are best placed to determine the speed limits for their areas, based on local knowledge and the views of the community. The Department for Transport (DfT) has issued guidance to help them in Speed Limit Circular 01/2013 – Setting Local Speed Limits.In June 2014 the DfT commissioned a comprehensive three-year research project into the effects of 20mph limits. This will cover many aspects including effects on speed, collisions, casualties and modal shift. The research will also consider best practice, road users’ perceptions and effects on the quality of the environment.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

India: Nepal

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of India about transit issues to Nepal.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: I refer the noble Lord to the oral answer I gave to the Earl of Sandwich on 27 October 2015, Official Report, Column 1088.Further to that response, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), raised the situation in Nepal with the Indian Minister of External Affairs, General V K Singh on 5 November, and again with Indian Foreign Secretary Dr S Jaishankar on 12 November.As Nepal’s largest bilateral donor and, in the year of the 200th anniversary of relations with Nepal, the UK is concerned about the current situation. Along with the rest of the international community we are very keen to see a final political settlement in Nepal and an end to the fuel supply problems, which are holding back Nepal’s recovery from April’s tragic earthquake and having a serious humanitarian impact. We remain in close contact with the Indian and Nepali governments.

Turkey: EU External Relations

Lord Willoughby de Broke: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they were consulted on the EU–Turkey deal that will allow Turkish citizens visa-free access to the Schengen area and which provided for three billion euros of aid to Turkey over two years.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK played an influential role in shaping the EU-Turkey summit on 29 November where these issues were discussed. The Prime Minister, my right Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), attended the summit, where the EU and Turkey agreed to step up cooperation on the many common issues that we face. We welcomed the clear message the summit sent of the importance the EU attaches to its wide-ranging partnership with Turkey. Turkey is a key partner in the EU’s response to the migration crisis and we commend its generosity in ably hosting over 2.2 million refugees from the crisis in Syria and Iraq. A funding package of €3 billion will help ease the refugee burden on Turkey whilst preventing further uncontrolled migration to the EU. Any progress in Turkey’s visa-liberalisation roadmap will not directly affect the UK as we do not participate in the immigration and border aspects of the Schengen acquis.

Turkey: Press Freedom

Lord Balfe: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made, at EU level or otherwise, about the cases of Can Dündar and Erdem Gül who were detained by the Turkish authorities on 26 November.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We continue to monitor these specific cases and regularly underline the importance of freedom of expression and all fundamental freedoms as part of our broader dialogue with the Turkish government. Our Ambassador in Ankara highlighted his concerns about the number of journalists detained in Turkey, including Mr Dündar and Mr Gül, in his public blog released on International Human Rights day. We welcomed the EU Commission’s Annual Progress Report on Turkey, released on 10 November, which highlighted the need for further reforms from Turkey in these areas. Freedom of expression must be respected and all media outlets must be allowed to report freely without intimidation.

Zimbabwe: Missing Persons

Lord Oates: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Zimbabwe regarding the disappearance of Itai Dzamara.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government has been following this case closely since Itai Dzamara’s abduction in March 2015. Together with EU Member States, we have repeatedly called on the Government of Zimbabwe to undertake a full investigation. The EU issued a local statement on 11 September expressing deep concern about Itai Dzamara’s welfare. We continue to urge the Zimbabwean authorities to do everything they can to enable him to recover his freedom, and to respect their legal obligation to report on the progress of the investigation. The EU Delegation is in contact with Mr Dzamara’s family.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Lord Oates: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Zimbabwe about political violence and the political impartiality of the Zimbabwe Republic Police in dealing with this violence.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: I refer the noble Lord to the response given in the other place by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), to the right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Mr Benn) on 27 October 2015 [12945], summarising our assessment of the political situation. There have been reports of political violence, directed against the opposition Movement for Democratic Change as well as between factions of the governing Zimbabwe African National Union party in recent months. Our Ambassador in Harare raised our concerns with the Government of Zimbabwe on 1 December. The UK remains committed to supporting the aspirations of the Zimbabwean people for a more peaceful, democratic, stable and prosperous Zimbabwe, free from political violence and repression.

Cyprus: Russia

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the UK, as one of the three guarantor powers of Cyprus, was consulted in connection with the request by Russia to the government of Cyprus for the provision of military facilities on that island.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have discussed with the Republic of Cyprus their dialogue with the Russian Federation on the provision of facilities for humanitarian and emergency purposes. The Republic of Cyprus have stated very clearly that they have no plans for a Russian military base on the island.The UK remains fully engaged on issues of regional security with the Republic of Cyprus, while recognising that it is for the Republic of Cyprus to decide which bilateral agreements to sign.

Maldives: Religious Freedom

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the freedom of Christian worship by British citizens visiting the Maldives.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Maldives is an Islamic country. Under its laws public observance of any religion other than Islam is prohibited. We state this in our Travel Advice and advise UK tourists to respect local traditions, customs, laws and religions at all times.

Turkey: Religious Freedom

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the freedom of Christian worship afforded to British citizens visiting Turkey.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: It is our understanding that British citizens are not hindered from Christian worship in Turkey. As stated in the EU Commission’s Annual Progress Report on Turkey released on 10 November, freedom of worship continues to be generally respected.

Syria: Religious Freedom

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their strategy for the continued protection of Alawites, Christians and Druze in the areas of Syria now controlled by the government of President Assad.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The current state of the Syrian civil war makes it difficult to offer explicit protection to Syrian minorities. The Assad regime creates the conditions for extremism in Syria by prosecuting a war it cannot win, destroying communities and the social fabric of the country. The only way to secure the position of Syria’s minority communities is to find a political solution to the crisis.However, the International Syria Support Group has agreed that protecting the rights of all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religious domination is fundamental. The UK will continue to work with this, as political discussions continue.The UK also supports non-governmental efforts to promote dialogue between different ethnic and sectarian groups in Syria, as we seek further progress on a political settlement. Minorities including Alawites, Christians, Druze, Kurds and Turkmen have been represented in these projects.

Syria: Politics and Government

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of why representatives of the cantons of Rojava were not invited to the recent conference of Syrian opposition groups in Riyadh, and whether they will call for their inclusion in any future meetings.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Kurds will play an important role in a political settlement for Syria. Members of all major communities of Syrian society participated in the Riyadh Opposition Conference. This included minorities such as the Kurds in the major political parties. Opposition representatives agreed to form a “High Negotiating Committee” to negotiate with the Syrian regime, under the auspices of the UN. The International Syria Support Group has agreed that protecting the rights of all Syrians regardless of ethnicity or religious domination is fundamental. The UK will continue to advocate this, as the political discussions continue.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Higher Education: Admissions

Baroness Burt of Solihull: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, what measures they will use to determine whether higher education institutions are delivering effective outcomes for widening access and social mobility.

Baroness Burt of Solihull: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, how they will assess higher education institutions to determine whether they are delivering effective outcomes for widening access and social mobility.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park: Universities wishing to charge higher fees must agree Access Agreements with the independent Director of Fair Access, showing what more they will do to widen access for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. These Access Agreements include measures and benchmarks for success, in line with the universities’ own particular mission and challenges.The Director of Fair Access monitors the performance of Universities against their targets and provides a report each year on the progress that has been made.The Green Paper Fulfilling our Potential: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice, CM 9141 sets out additional steps the Government plans to take to increase the proportion of students from disadvantaged background entering higher education including through the new guidance that we plan to issue to the Director of Fair Access, and through the social mobility taskforce being set up by Universities UK.

Electronic Equipment: Recycling

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of (1) batteries, and (2) other waste electrical and electronic equipment, are recycled by (a) domestic households, (b) small and medium-sized commercial enterprises, (c) large commercial enterprises, (d) government departments, (e) local authorities, and (f) other public sector bodies.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government does not hold information in the form requested, but the overall collection and recycling rates for 2014 for these products and equipment expressed as a percentage of tonnage placed on the market is: -36% of portable batteries;37% of waste electrical and electronic equipment.Industrialand automotive batteries are subject to a landfill disposal ban. Accordingly, all such batteries have to be recycled.

Land: Registration

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current backlog of applications for land registration at the Land Registry, and how long is the average delay in registration.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: There are approximately 234k applications awaiting completion at Land Registry, 93k of which cannot be processed as they are awaiting replies to queries sent to the originating conveyancer or solicitor, or notices sent to the registered proprietor(s) of the land or property. This leaves 141k applications available for Land Registry to process. Registration takes place after the transaction has been completed and the priority of all of these pending applications is protected upon receipt. Last year, Land Registry received 5.9m applications for registration.The average number of days taken to complete all applications for registration is 11 days, with applications to update an existing register taking an average of just under 7 days, and applications that result in the creation of new registered titles taking an average of 42 days to complete.

Department for Education

Academies: Finance

Baroness Sharp of Guildford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the main expenditure estimates of July for the Department for Education, what is the breakdown of the £4 billion budget line "other" currently assigned to Education Funding Agency funding of academy schools.

Lord Nash: We refer to both the £4 billion budget in the department’s Main Estimate, and the £1.6 billion of ‘other expenditure’ by the Education Funding Agency (EFA), identified in the July Memorandum to the Education Select Committee.The £4 billion identified in the Main Estimate relates to the department’s £4.7 billion capital budget, of which £4,115,299 is paid out via the EFA. This capital investment enables local authorities to discharge their duties: to ensure that there are enough school places; to maintain the school estate; to undertake major replacement and refurbishment projects for schools in the worst condition through the Priority Schools Building Programmes; and to facilitate education reform through the Free Schools programme.The Memorandum to the Education Select Committee provides a breakdown of expenditure within the Estimate Lines. The EFA’s major programme budget includes an ‘other’ heading that totals £1.6 billion. This heading groups together the smaller school’s programmes, including Universal Infant Free School Meals, Private Finance Initiative funding, Post-16 Free School Meals, Post-16 Bursary Fund, and Post-16 Learner Support.The academy schools net expenditure totals £17 billion for programme and capital, the majority being for resource expenditure.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Smoking

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the monthly sales figures for (1) e-cigarettes, and (2) tobacco products, in prison shops in the past year.

Lord Faulks: For prisons in England and Wales monthly sales (number of units sold[1]) for the period December 2014 to November 2015 were as follows: TOBACCO & CIGARETTES SUNDRIES[2]E CIGARETTEDECEMBER 2014318,300252,500310JANUARY 2015352,500284,200140FEBURARY 2015283,600228,30080MARCH 2015291,700228,40020APRIL 2015344,100282,50040MAY 2015290,800230,10060JUNE 2015286,000216,00060JULY 2015350,400268,40040AUGUST 2015286,900220,4006,500SEPTEMBER 2015280,200219,1005,600OCTOBER 2015344,200268,7003,000NOVEMBER 2015278,400220,2001,500It should be noted that some of the variation in monthly sales is due to months having four weekly accounting periods and other months having five.From December 2014 to mid-August 2015 e-cigarettes were only available in prisons in Wales plus the three Public Sector Prison establishments in England, (Eastwood Park, Stocken, and Preston) hence the relatively low sales. From 17 August 2015 all public sector establishments offered an e-cigarette on their Local Product List (prison shop form). The decrease in e-cigarette sales since August is thought to be due to an initial peak in sales when these products were first introduced.[1] Rounded to the nearest 100, or nearest 10 when sales are less than 1,000.[2] Sundries include, for example, rolling papers, lighters, matches, filter tips and rolling machines.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government in how many cases since July 2013 employment tribunal fees have been remitted, and at what cost to the public purse.

Lord Faulks: Since July 2013 and until the period of June 2015, around 11,000 cases have had fees remitted in employment tribunal cases at a total estimated cost of funding fee remissions of £4.9m. This information is published on the Government website.

Prison Sentences: Females

Lord Trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many women responsible for one or more young children are currently serving prison sentences in England and Wales, and what assessment they have made of the sentencing guidelines relating to such women.

Lord Faulks: The specific information requested is not held.Sentencing guidelines are issued by the independent Sentencing Council. They are available on the Sentencing Council website.

Internet: Bullying

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have to strengthen legislation in order to prevent cyber bullying.

Lord Faulks: Legislation that can be used to prosecute cyber-bullying related offences includes the Protection from Harassment Act 1997; the Public Order Act 1986; the Malicious Communications Act 1988; and the Communications Act 2003. The Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 made changes to the relevant offences in these last two Acts which will help to ensure that people who commit them are prosecuted and properly punished.The Government believes that this is sufficient and therefore does not intend to introduced specific additional legislation to address the issue of cyberbullying.

Legal Aid Scheme

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the annual savings to be achieved by imposing a residence test for legal aid.

Lord Faulks: This Government believes in the principle of the residence test. It is right that individuals should have a strong connection to the UK to benefit from the civil legal aid system.The Government does not currently record the residence status of civil legal aid clients so cannot accurately estimate the annual savings that may be achieved by introducing a civil legal aid residence test. It is likely there will be a reduction in legal aid volumes and expenditure from imposing residence restrictions on civil legal aid, resulting in savings to the legal aid fund.

Youth Justice Board: Public Appointments

Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government by what process Dr Tony Sewell was appointed to the Youth Justice Board.

Lord Faulks: The Secretary of State for Justice, appointed Dr Tony Sewell to the Youth Justice Board with the agreement of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The process followed was that recommended by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Details of the appointment were published on the Government website on 29 October.

Prisoners: Rehabilitation

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how many prisoners are prevented from progressing towards release because they are unable or unwilling to take specified training courses that the Parole Board insists are the only acceptable evidence of reduced risk on release.

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will require the Parole Board to take into account all the available evidence that individual prisoners serving long sentences have changed their attitudes and lifestyles while in prison.

Lord Faulks: It is not mandatory for a prisoner to complete specific courses or programmes before he can be considered for release by the Parole Board. The Parole Board is required to assess the prisoner’s overall risk of serious harm to the public and, in doing so, will consider a range of factors, including, where available, the prisoner’s response to specific offending behaviour programmes (OBPs).The Parole Board already takes into account other indicators of reduced risk, including where the prisoner has engaged effectively with professional staff on a one to one basis or undertaken education, work and training. In addition, the Parole Board will consider the prisoner’s behaviour in custody, together with evidence drawn from the prisoner’s attitudes - for example, how well the prisoner handles stressful situations.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Recruitment

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were (1) the targets for recruitment, and (2) the actual number of recruits, to each of the Armed Forces for each year from 2010 to 2015; and what action they are taking to increase the number of recruits to the Armed Forces.

Earl Howe: Defence Statistics publish Monthly Service Personnel Statistics, which include intake figures for the Armed Forces. The most recent information is contained in 'UK Armed Forces Monthly Service Personnel Statistics: November 2015' which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-armed-forces-monthly-service-personnel-statistics-indexRecruiting targets for the Reserve Forces for Financial Year (FY) 2014-15 onwards were set out in the Future Reserves 2020 paper, which was placed in the Library of the House on 19 December 2013 (reference DEP2013-2063), and are still valid. I refer my noble Friend to the Written Ministerial Statement made by my noble Friend the Lord Astor of Hever on 7 January 2014 (Official Report, column 169WS). Reserves intake figures from October 2013 onwards are published in the tables associated with the Monthly Service Personnel Statistics, and can also be found in the historic Quarterly Personnel Reports at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-quarterly-personnel-report-2015A summary of intake to UK Regular Forces and the Future Reserve 2020 (FR20) Volunteer Reserve by Financial Year for the period in question is attached. Data is held centrally from October 2012 for the Maritime Reserve, April 2012 for the Army Reserve, and April 2013 for the Royal Air Force (RAF) Reserve. Recruitment targets for FR20 were not set until October 2013 following the publication of the Reserves White Paper. Official statistics for Regular recruitment targets which may be meaningfully compared to the official intake statistics are not produced.The Naval Service utilises a wide range of initiatives to increase the number of recruits, such as targeted marketing, specific recruitment events, career extensions and the use of retention incentives. There are also some specific mechanisms in place to attract recruits in specialist areas, such as staged remunerative awards to new entry Engineer Officers with relevant degrees, and the Direct Entry Technician Scheme, a one year trial to recruit suitably qualified and experienced personnel from private industry.Recruitment into the Army is up. We are confident that our plans to recruit and retain the right mix of Regular and Reserve personnel are robust and viable. We continue to look at ways of attracting people from all walks of life into the Army. Our high-profile marketing campaign continues across various media platforms. The Army has launched a new Officer recruitment campaign, 'With Heart. With Mind', showcasing the Army Officer as a highly-skilled career that offers leadership, challenge and the opportunity to do something that makes a difference. We have made real improvements to the application pipeline and continue to look at ways of making this as efficient as possible, while fostering candidate enthusiasm and motivation.A great deal of targeted activity is under way to improve recruitment and retention in the RAF. Proactive marketing of RAF Careers continues through a variety of media outlets, targeting specific branches and trades as well as offering recruitment and retention incentives. Recruitment events, such as the RAF Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) road show, nationally promote STEM and other roles within the RAF.We have made a number of improvements to ensure we reach our target strength of 35,000 trained volunteer Reservists by 31 March 2019. Central to this is an improved offer, which includes better training, better equipment, improved remuneration and an improved experience for Reservists. We have also widened the opportunity for Reservists to contribute on operations and established a new relationship with employers, as well as improving the support available to employers when a Reservist employee is mobilised. These actions are in addition to improving capacity and flow in the recruiting process and our marketing campaigns. As a result, more Reservists are joining either as new entrants to the military, or with prior experience either in the Regulars or in the Reserves. 8,660 joined in the 12 months to 1 November, a 56% increase on the equivalent period a year earlier. Trained strength has reached 26,290, ahead of the April 2016 target.



HL4348 - Intake of FR20 and UK Regular Forces
(Word Document, 24.73 KB)

Department for Communities and Local Government

Islam

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have evidence that Saudi Arabia funds Wahhabi mosques and Wahhabi communities in the UK.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: HM Government does not collect information on the denomination of religious institutions, nor of communities in the UK.

Change of Use

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, before 13 November, the B1 planning class remained a requirement for offices that also qualified for a residential planning designation.

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, where an office property that qualified for a residential planning designation is demolished, whether any restrictions are placed on the building of a new property on that land according to the former office property’s footprint.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: We announced on 12 October that the permitted development right for the change of use from office to residential will be made permanent. We further announced that the rights will in future provide for an office to be demolished and replaced on a like-for-like basis as residential. The details of the rights including any requirements about the use, eligibility criteria and any matters for prior approval, including in relation to demolition and replacement, will be provided in due course.

Parking Offences: Fines

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what local authorities are permitted to spend profits from parking enforcement after covering enforcement costs; and what assessment they have made of how much such profit local authorities make from such enforcement.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Unfair parking fines push up the cost of living and undermine the high street. Local authorities should be making it easier to park to support local shops, local jobs and tourism by increasing footfall. Making parking more difficult stifles local trade, driving motorists into the arms of internet retailers and out of town superstores.Existing legislation clearly restricts the purposes for which monies generated from parking may be spent by local authorities to off-street parking, transport and environmental improvements.The Local Government Transparency Code 2015 requires local authorities to publish a breakdown of income and expenditure on the authority’s parking account. This includes details of revenue collected from on-street parking, off-street parking and Penalty Charge Notices and a breakdown of how the authority has spent a surplus on its parking account.

Starter Home Initiative

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which are the 27 sites where successful bids for funding have been made in the first wave of Starter Home projects on brownfield sites; in which local authorities those sites are situated; and in each case, what measures the funding will support, how much is being offered, and whether it is in the form of a grant or a loan.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: £8,063,561 in grant funding has been awarded to 18 local authorities for site preparation, including remediation, demolition, site investigation and/or ecological works on 27 suitable brownfield sites, that will go on to deliver the first wave of Starter Homes. Further detail on the sites, local authorities and amount of funding each will receive are set out in the attached table.



LA Fund successful bidders and sites
(Word Document, 23.46 KB)

Parking: Fees and Charges

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of car parking charges and their effect on the high street.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: We are committed to supporting our high streets and effective parking management is essential for businesses to survive and grow.Local authorities should be making it easier to park by looking to reduce the cost of parking in local authority owned car parks, and working with private sector providers to ensure they are providing a competitive offer that makes people want to visit high streets and town centres. This provides the best support to local shops, local jobs and tourism by increasing footfall.The Government has brought forward a range of measures to help motorists, including banning CCTV ‘spy cars’, introducing 10 minutes grace periods and a new guidance to challenge parking policies.

Local Government: Reorganisation

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to reorganise local government in England.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government’s policy is to work with local areas to deliver effective devolution with the governance necessary to support this, including moves to more unitary structures where this is wanted locally. Our aim, as it has been throughout our devolution discussions with areas, is to build consensus and the provisions in the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill, to which the House of Commons gave an unopposed Third Reading on Monday 7 December, provide the flexibility that no one council can reasonably refuse to discuss with others the potential for reforming their area’s governance.

Devolution: Sheffield

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 10 December (HL4243), whether the specific power of the Mayor to veto a vote by not voting for a motion, as set out in paragraph 4 of the Sheffield City Region Devolution Agreement, remains negotiable.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: All deals are agreed in principle, and we are therefore open to extending or amending existing devolution deals. However, it is vital that any alternative arrangement offered by Sheffield City Region would ensure that the Mayor will retain the same or stronger powers as the currently agreed arrangements.

Cabinet Office

Government Contracts: Private Sector

Baroness Corston: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have a policy on the use of public relations companies by private organisations delivering public services under government contracts.

Lord Bridges of Headley: We do not currently have a specific policy on the use of public relations companies by private organisations delivering public services under government contracts, but we expect the very highest value for money in all things.

Policy Development Grant

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the annual effect of the planned reductions to Policy Development Grants on political parties' funding for policy development.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The total amount available for policy development grants is to be reduced by 19 per cent. This is in line with the savings asked of non­ protected departments as part of the Spending Review and will ensure that political parties in receipt of taxpayer funding contribute to the savings that are also being asked of local and central government.The Electoral Commission determines the grant available to each eligible political party as part of the scheme.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated annual cost of their special advisers.

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have, if any, to reduce the costs of government special advisers.

Lord Bridges of Headley: I refer the Noble Lord to the Written Statement made on 17 December 2015, HLWS417, which I have attached for each of reference.The attached list of Special Advisers sets out the names of the Special Advisers in post as of December 2015, each special adviser’s pay band, and actual salary (where this is higher than the Senior Civil Service entry-level salary), together with details of the total pay bill for 2014-15 and the estimate for 2015-16. The cost has fallen from last year, and the cost represents just 0.08 per cent of the Civil Service pay bill.



Written Statement Report HLWS417
(PDF Document, 77.38 KB)




List of Special Advisers
(Word Document, 55.92 KB)

General Elections: Expenditure

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to limit spending in particular constituencies during a general election campaign to prevent any imbalance in the funding available to candidates unduly affecting election outcomes.

Lord Bridges of Headley: Existing electoral law limits spending.The Representation of the People Act 1983 sets limits for spending by candidates, and for those campaigning for or against a candidate, at a General Election. The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 sets constituency limits for spending by third party campaigners at General Elections.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had regarding the funding of youth social action projects outside National Citizen Service.

Lord Bridges of Headley: Cabinet Office is committed to making social action a part of life for all 10-20 year olds, creating opportunities for young people to develop new skills and give back to their community.In 2015/16 Cabinet Office will invest £1.2 million to support the development of national and local youth social action opportunities for 10-20 year olds. The investment has been match funded by Pears Foundation and UK Community Foundations. These funds will run until July 2017.Cabinet Office has also invested £10 million, through LIBOR fines, in Youth United to run the Uniformed Youth Social Action Fund. This fund aims to create over 15,000 places in uniformed youth groups in the UK.We will be making further announcements on youth funding in due course.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to support the #iwill campaign to meet its aim of having an additional 1.5 million young people involved in social action by 2020.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The Cabinet Office has pledged to support the #iwill campaign by ensuring that all young people have the opportunity to engage in meaningful youth social action opportunities.We have also invested £1.2 million to support the development of youth social action opportunities in low socio-economic and rural areas and the East of England and £10 million of LIBOR fines to create over 15,000 places in uniformed youth groups in the UK.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the progress made by the #iwill campaign towards meeting its aim of having an additional 1.5 million young people involved in social action by 2020.

Lord Bridges of Headley: Cabinet Office and Step Up To Serve commissioned Ipsos MORI to survey 2,021 10-20 year olds in September 2015 to determine the proportion of young people involved in social action in the UK. The survey helps to measure the progress of the #iwill campaign and found that 42% of 10-20 year olds took part in meaningful social action.Cabinet Office has pledged to support the #iwill campaign by ensuring that young people from all backgrounds have the opportunity to engage in meaningful youth social action opportunities.Opportunities for young people to get involved in youth social action can be found through the #iwill campaign website which sets out many of the excellent programmes that already exist in the UK.

Office for Civil Society: Finance

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the reduction in the Cabinet Office budget on the budget for the Office of Civil Society.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The Office for Civil Society will make general efficiency savings in its core budget, but it will also receive an additional £80million to grow social investment and the funding to offer up to 300,000 National Citizen Service places in 2019/20.

Department of Health

General Practitioners

Lord Harris of Haringey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of GP surgeries that are failing to meet their obligations under regulation 15A of the National Health Service (Personal Medical Services Agreements) Regulations 2004, as amended, to establish and maintain a Patient Participation Group.

Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS England is responsible for the assessment of general medical practices compliance with contractual requirements.NHS England operates an annual practice declaration to support its local teams assess contractual compliance. The annual declaration was amended this year to include key areas of enquiry in relation to the new responsibilities to establish and maintain a Patient Participation Group.The NHS (Personal Medical Services Agreements) Regulations contain steps which NHS England may take where a practice does not comply with the terms of the agreement. These include issuing a remedial notice and, if no action is taken as a result of this notice, a breach of contract notice which could result in NHS England withholding money, due under the agreement, or terminating the agreement.NHS England does not currently hold information nationally on the use of contractual sanctions. NHS England is developing its reporting systems to identify the number of breach notices issued periodically and to identify common themes associated with contractual non-compliance.

General Practitioners

Lord Harris of Haringey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements are in place to ensure that the obligations under regulation 15A of the National Health Service (Personal Medical Services Agreements) Regulations 2004, as amended, to establish and maintain a Patient Participation Group are being met.

Lord Harris of Haringey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what sanctions are available to NHS England to enforce the obligations under regulation 15A of the National Health Service (Personal Medical Services Agreements) Regulations 2004, as amended, to establish and maintain a Patient Participation Group, and what information they have about the use of such sanctions.

Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS England is responsible for the assessment of general medical practices compliance with contractual requirements.NHS England operates an annual practice declaration to support its local teams assess contractual compliance. The annual declaration was amended this year to include key areas of enquiry in relation to the new responsibilities to establish and maintain a Patient Participation Group.The NHS (Personal Medical Services Agreements) Regulations contain steps which NHS England may take where a practice does not comply with the terms of the agreement. These include issuing a remedial notice and, if no action is taken as a result of this notice, a breach of contract notice which could result in NHS England withholding money, due under the agreement, or terminating the agreement.NHS England does not currently hold information nationally on the use of contractual sanctions. NHS England is developing its reporting systems to identify the number of breach notices issued periodically and to identify common themes associated with contractual non-compliance.

Abortion: Northern Ireland

Lord Rogan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government under what circumstances, if any, a resident of Northern Ireland who seeks an abortion in Great Britain is required to pay for the operation.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Health is a devolved matter. Residents of Northern Ireland are entitled to access abortion services in England but, in general, they must make their own private arrangements for so doing.

Mental Health Services

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Mental Health Taskforce report on a new five-year national strategy for mental health will be published.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Mental Health Taskforce is finalising its recommendations and supporting analysis to ensure these are robust. Their report is due to be published by NHS England in the New Year.

Antibiotics

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of concerns about the increase in antibiotic resistance, what assessment they have made of the recent study by researchers at King's College London, published in the British Journal of General Practice, reporting a link between patient satisfaction and the prescription of antibiotics, in particular given that patient satisfaction is a contributory factor to GPs' performance-related pay.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government is aware of the research from King’s College, which shows the pressures that general practitioners face to prescribe antibiotics, even when they are not clinically appropriate.We have already taken steps to address this issue, in particular, through measures to educate the public on the value of antibiotics and when the use of these drugs is inappropriate. For example, the Public Health England (PHE) is undertaking work to reduce antibiotic prescribing in general practice through low cost and scalable interventions designed by behavioural scientists. In addition, PHE has developed the Antibiotic Guardian campaign to improve prescribing behaviours amongst healthcare professionals and to encourage the public to use antibiotics responsibly. Furthermore, all prescribers are encouraged to support antimicrobial stewardship by following guidance from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence on antimicrobial stewardship, published in August 2015.

Alcoholism

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the NHS recognises alcoholism as a mental health issue.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Evidence shows that there is a link between alcohol misuse and mental ill health. We know that people who drink excessively are at higher risk of poor mental health and that some people with mental illness may lead riskier lifestyles and may have issues with alcohol and drug misuse.National Health Service clinicians use the tenth edition of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) for mental and behavioural disorders. The ICD-10 includes ‘Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol.’Diagnosis of a mental or behavioural disorder would be subject to an individual assessment, by an appropriate clinician.

Medical Examiners

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish implementation plans for the rollout of the system of medical examiners in the NHS now that the Spending Review has been published.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Following the Spending Review, further work on the reforms to death certification and the introduction of medical examiners will be subject to confirmation of spending priorities through the normal business planning cycle. We will provide an update on the implementation plans and timetables as soon as we are able.

Contraceptives

Baroness Gould of Potternewton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether an assessment has been undertaken of the effect on contraceptive services of reductions in the public health budget.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Decisions on local public health spending are a matter for local authorities. Local authorities are mandated to commission open access contraceptive services that provide advice on, and reasonable access to, a broad range of contraceptive substances and appliances.

Healthy Start Scheme

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many pregnant women, new mothers, and children under four have applied to the Healthy Start scheme in each year since that scheme started.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The specific information requested is not available as the Healthy Start Issuing Unit records numbers of applications, rather than numbers of individuals claiming, and an individual or family can make more than one claim for Healthy Start within a year.The following table outlines the number of applications received each year since the scheme was started and is made up of the number of claims/applications per year.The Healthy Start Scheme initially started in Devon and Cornwall and was rolled out United Kingdom-wide in November 2006.Financial YearNumber of applications/claims2005-062,445Healthy Start Scheme introduced initially in Devon and Cornwall2006-07104,920Extended United Kingdom wide in November 20062007-08197,3882008-09298,0772009-10338,1132010-11316,7112011-12320,0432012-13316,2772013-14271,2442014-15226,8052015-16 (Up to 15 November)132,633

NHS 111: East Midlands

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government,further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 28 October (HL2778), what has been the outcome of the investigation into "serious allegations" about the 111 service in the East Midlands.

Lord Prior of Brampton: We understand that NHS England has received a detailed and independent report on the whistle-blower’s allegations about the NHS 111 services in Derbyshire which is currently being considered. NHS England will formally respond later this month. We are assured that no immediate risks to patient care have been identified and local commissioners report that service levels are effective and appropriate.

Smoking

Lord Young of Cookham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to reduce smoking within the NHS as part of implementing "the radical upgrade in prevention and public health" called for in NHS England’s Five Year Forward View.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Smoking continues to be the leading cause of premature death and health inequality in England, placing a significant burden on the National Health Service.The Department remains dedicated to the delivery of effective and robust tobacco control and has committed to developing a new tobacco control strategy to further reduce the prevalence of smoking, working with NHS England and Public Health England (PHE) to identify interventions that will make the best contributions to achieving this.Training material and guidance has been developed to support health professionals deliver effective interventions to pregnant women who smoke.PHE will continue to support local authorities by developing and distributing information and advice for the commissioning of effective smoking cessation services.

Action on Smoking and Health

Lord Naseby: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the role of Action on Smoking and Health in providing the secretariat to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health, and in particular whether such activities are designed to influence (1) Parliament, Government or political parties, or (2) legislative or regulatory action.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Department has made no assessment of the role of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) in providing the secretariat to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health.The conditions applicable to grants awarded to ASH for work to support tobacco control are set out in the grant award letters. The Department has made clear that none of this funding is to be used for activities designed to influence Parliament, Government or political parties or to influence legislative or regulatory action. ASH’s compliance with the conditions of the grant is assessed at grant monitoring meetings as well as in the final full year grant monitoring and governance reports.